Pease on short list for KC-46A tankers: Local Air Guard base in final five for new air refueling planes

PORTSMOUTH — The field of Air National Guard bases being considered to receive the new KC-46A air refueling tanker has been narrowed to five, and Pease is a finalist.

By JIM HADDADINjhaddadin@fosters.com

fosters.com

By JIM HADDADINjhaddadin@fosters.com

Posted Jan. 10, 2013 at 3:15 AM
Updated Jan 10, 2013 at 8:59 AM

By JIM HADDADINjhaddadin@fosters.com

Posted Jan. 10, 2013 at 3:15 AM
Updated Jan 10, 2013 at 8:59 AM

PORTSMOUTH — The field of Air National Guard bases being considered to receive the new KC-46A air refueling tanker has been narrowed to five, and Pease is a finalist.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Air Force released a list of bases in the running to house some of the first KC-46A tankers that roll of the assembly line. Pease Air Guard Base is among those under consideration.

With the guts of a Boeing 767 commercial airplane, the new KC-46A tanker will present a significant advancement over the existing fleet of aging KC-135 Stratotankers.

It comes equipped with worldwide navigation and communication systems, airlift capability on the entire main deck and improved “force protection” features, among other things.

Because of its design, the new aircraft can also be used for a variety of purposes beyond air refueling, such as evacuating people and moving cargo.

The Air Force considered a field of 83 guard bases before cutting the options down to five this week, according to an announcement from Air Force 1st Lt. Aaron McCarthy, Wing Executive Officer of the 157th Air Refueling Wing, which is headquartered at Pease.

“It's obviously a good thing to be on the list,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “It just shows the hard work we've done.”

In addition to Pease, the other guard facilities being considered by the Air Force to house the KC-46A are Forbes Air Guard Station in Kansas, Joint-Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, Pittsburgh International Airport Air Guard Station in Pennsylvania and Rickenbacker Air Guard Station in Ohio.

The Air Force has contracted with Boeing to make 179 KC-46As. The first tankers are scheduled to be available in fiscal 2016, and production is scheduled to continue for about another decade after that.

The Air Guard base chosen to house the first KC-46As will begin receiving them in fiscal 2018.

An Air Force “site activation task force team” will now visit all of the bases under consideration during the next several weeks.

During the review, the team will assess operational and training requirements, potential impacts to existing missions, housing, infrastructure, and manpower at each base. They will also develop cost estimates for moving the aircraft to each facility.

Once the site surveys are complete, the results will be reported to the Air Force secretary and chief of staff, who will select “preferred” sites, as well as alternatives. The decision is expected by this spring.

After, the Air Force will launch extensive environmental impact studies at the chosen locations. The process is expected to continue into 2014.

One advantage Pease holds in the basing process is its proximity to the “refueling track,” or travel path, that more than 90 percent of all fighter aircraft use to reach operations in the Middle East. Planes carrying cargo and personnel to Europe and Africa also pass within a few minutes of Pease.

Members of the 157th Air Refueling Wing say another argument in favor of bringing KC-46As to Pease is the base's track record of putting planes to use.

Pease has remained open 24 hours a day since the Sept. 11 attacks. With refueling missions scheduled at all hours, guard troops at Pease flew more hours per airplane last year than any other Air National Guard unit in the country.

Another factor that has contributed to high utilization is the fact that Pease is home to three KC-135 active associations, according to an announcement from the 157th Air Refueling Wing. The associations comprise both Air National Guard and active duty personnel.

“The 157th Air Refueling Wing has the ideal combination of strategic location, total force personnel and infrastructure to give the country the optimum performance and efficiency of air refueling operations,” Wing Commander Paul Hutchinson said in a prepared statement.

New Hampshire's two U.S. senators have both wielded their authority on the Senate Armed Services Committee to make the case in favor of Pease Air Guard Base. They praised Wednesday's announcement in a joint statement.

“This is welcome news for Pease and the 157th Air Refueling Wing, which provides the best tanker support in the Air National Guard,” Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Kelly Ayotte said in a written remark. “As the Air Force's evaluation process moves forward, Pease continues to be well-positioned to receive the new tanker.”

In addition to selecting a Guard base, the Air Force will also send KC-46As to one active duty base and one so-called “formal training unit.”

Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma and McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas are the two bases being considered in the training unit category.

Altus is also in the running to house KC-46As as an active duty base. Also being considered are Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas.